Black Canyon Ultras - 100K - Elevation Profile, Aid Stations and Cutoffs
- Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA
- 100.1 km62.2 mi
- 1,591 m5,220 ft D+
- 9 aid stations
Map, checkpoints and cutoffs Map · checkpoints · forecast opens Feb 4 Race-day forecast is live
Race-day conditions
Weather and daylight along the course and at all 11 checkpoints, set to the 07:00 start.
- Start
- 07:00
- Daylight at the start
- 07:16-18:09
- Aid stations
- 9
- Distance
- 100.1 km62.2 miFinishes 645 m lower than it startsFinishes 2,116 ft lower than it starts
- Elevation
- +1,591 m+5,220 ft-2,236 m-7,336 ftAbout 16 m of climb per kmAbout 84 ft of climb per mile
- Highest point
- 1,280 m4,199 ft
Next editionSat 13 Feb 2027 · 07:00
- Start
- Sunrise0h16 after the start
- Winner~7h207h20 after the start
- Sunset11h10 after the start
- Median finisher2026 median14h52 after the start
- Cutoff20h after the start
A median finisher runs 3h58 in the dark.
Black Canyon Ultras - 100K is a 100.1 km (about 62 miles) ultra-trail with around 1,591 m of elevation gain, starting in Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA. The overall cutoff is 20 hours. That is 16 m of climbing per kilometre. Black Canyon Ultras has 2 races, from 51.8 to 100.1 km; this one ranks 1 of 2 by distance and 1 of 2 by climbing per kilometre.
The biggest climb between checkpoints gains around 361 m from Black Canyon City Trailhead (km 59.9) to Cottonwood Gulch (km 74.7). The steepest sustained section on the elevation profile averages about 6% over roughly 2.7 km around km 65. Crew access is allowed at Bumble Bee Ranch (31.2 km), Deep Canyon Ranch (51.3 km) and Table Mesa (82.2 km). Drop bags are available at Bumble Bee Ranch, Deep Canyon Ranch and Table Mesa.
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide.
Other distances at Black Canyon Ultras
| Race | Distance | D+ | Cutoff | Next start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Canyon 100K (this page) | 100.1 km62.2 mi | 1,591 m5,220 ft | 20h00 | Feb 13, 2027 |
| Black Canyon 50K | 51.8 km32.2 mi | 611 m2,005 ft | 11h00 | Feb 14, 2027 |
Plan against the cutoffs
Prepare every aid station against the official cutoffs, then unlock your full roadbook in the app.
Estimate your finish
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Course math
Four numbers worked out from this course's distance, elevation and checkpoints.
TrailMath effort-km
127 effort-km
About 12 h for a mid-pack finisher (index 500). Not a pacing guarantee.
Distance + gain ÷ 100 + loss ÷ 200, beside ITRA's gain-only km-effort. Model TM1.0.
How TrailMath works →UTMB Index category
100K
116 km-effort (distance + gain ÷ 100). Calculated from the course figures, not an official classification.
Estimate your UTMB Index → ITRA and UTMB indexes explainedBiggest climb section
+361 m+1,184 ft
Black Canyon City Trailhead → Cottonwood Gulch · km 59.9–74.7mi 37.2–46.4
The largest gain between two checkpoints, not one continuous climb.
Black Canyon City Trailhead cutoff: Sat 19:00
Plan against barriers →Biggest descent section
−425 m−1,394 ft
Gloriana Mine → Deep Canyon Ranch · km 38.6–51.3mi 24–31.9
The largest loss between two checkpoints. ITRA's km-effort ignores descent; TrailMath counts it: 127 km-effort.
Open in GPX Explorer →Share this race
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Black Canyon Ultras - 100K · 2026
Finish times, 2026 edition
958 runners started. 765 came back. Half of them took longer than 14:52:19.That left the median finisher 5:07:41 inside the 20h cutoff.
Median finish
14:52:19
Half of the 765 finishers were still out there at this point.
5:07:41in hand before the 20h cutoff
Average 14:35:54, 0:16:25 quicker than the median: a fast front pulls it down.
The start line
79.9%
765 of 958 starters made it; 193 did not.
still moving when a cutoff closed
stopped by choice or by the medics
Men and women
Two medians on the same scale. The bars run from the start to the cutoff, so the gap between them is the gap in time.
Men
14:39:15
median finish; average 14:22:35
559 finishers, 73% of the field
Women
15:41:59
median finish; average 15:11:49
205 finishers, 27% of the field
1:02:44 separates the two medians, across 559 men and 205 women.
Finish time by age group
Every track runs from the start to the 20h cutoff, so the empty part of a bar is the time that group's median finisher still had. Men and women are drawn on the same scale.
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| U20 | - | 2 - too few finishers to publish a time | |
| 20-29 | 12:26:16 | 73 | |
| 30-39 | 12:56:55 | 192 | |
| 40-49 | 15:02:46 | 162 | |
| 50-59 | 15:58:06 | 100 | |
| 60-69 | 16:22:56 | 28 | |
| 70+ | - | 2 - too few finishers to publish a time |
| Age | Median finish | Median against the cutoff | Finishers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | 14:13:30 | 24 | |
| 30-39 | 15:00:58 | 78 | |
| 40-49 | 15:42:21 | 70 | |
| 50-59 | 17:46:37 | 27 | |
| 60-69 | 16:42:18 | 6 - small sample, read with care |
Full bar: 20 finishers or more. Tick alone: fewer than 20, too few for a median to say much. The shaded row is the biggest group.
Where the finishers came from
93% of the finishers came from United States alone.
| Nation | Finishers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United StatesUS | 71593.5% | |
| CanadaCA | 273.5% | |
| United KingdomGB | 40.5% | |
| MexicoMX | 40.5% | |
| GermanyDE | 30.4% | |
| American SamoaAS | 20.3% | |
| FranceFR | 20.3% | |
| SwitzerlandCH | 10.1% | |
| ChinaCN | 10.1% | |
| DenmarkDK | 10.1% | |
| SpainES | 10.1% | |
| JapanJP | 10.1% | |
| PhilippinesPH | 10.1% | |
| SwedenSE | 10.1% | |
| SlovakiaSK | 10.1% | |
| 5 other nations | 50.7% |
Showing 15 of 15 nations.
Bar length is against the largest nation. The smallest counts are drawn at a minimum visible width, so their bars are not to scale.
Edition by edition
Every edition we have recomputed in full, newest first. The course, the weather and the field change from year to year, so a slower edition is not a harder one.
| Edition | Distance run | Starters | Finishers | Finish rate | Median finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Latest | - | 958 | 765 | 79.9% | 14:52:19 |
| 2025 | - | 1,003 | 776 | 77.4% | 14:59:25 |
How these numbers were computed
These are times for runners who finished. They exclude everyone who started and did not, so they describe how long finishing took, not how long the race takes. Bands with only a handful of finishers move a lot from one edition to the next.
We plot the median, not the average. A handful of very quick runners drags the average well below the time half the field actually beat, so the median is the honest number to plan against.
Nationality here shows who travels to this race, not who runs it best. That alone is why a host nation tops almost every list.
Computed from the full official results, verifiedNovember 8, 2026 - Official results
Ask the course
Ask Black Canyon 100K anything about climbs, pacing, crew or cutoffs.
Answers come from this course's data, your plan and your training.
Which climb should I respect most?
Black Canyon City Trailhead to Cottonwood Gulch: +361 m over 14.8 km, from km 59.9. Hike the steep sections at an effort you could hold for hours - the race is decided after this climb, not on it.
Where can my crew meet me?
Bumble Bee Ranch, km 31.2 - the first of 3 crew points. The next is Deep Canyon Ranch, km 51.3.
Is 14h a realistic finish for me?
14h would put you in the faster half of 2026 finishers - the median was 14:52:19. It means holding 8:23/km overall.
The assistant answers that once it can see your training.
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Example answer
Your long runs peak at 30 km, so the plan builds to 4-hour long runs.
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~15 weeks · peak ~8 h/week · 5 run + 2 strength days
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Aid stations and checkpoints
| Checkpoint | KmMi | Cumulative gain (m)Cumulative gain (ft) | Cumulative loss (m)Cumulative loss (ft) | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start - Mayer High SchoolServices not published | 00 | 00 | 00 | - |
| Antelope Mesa | 12.47.7 | 163535 | 195640 | Sat 09:15 |
| Hidden Treasure | 20.812.9 | 185607 | 4751,558 | Sat 10:45 |
| Bumble Bee RanchCrewDrop bag | 31.219.4 | 237778 | 6862,251 | Sat 12:45 |
| Gloriana Mine | 38.624 | 3931,289 | 7902,592 | Sat 14:30 |
| Deep Canyon RanchCrewDrop bag | 51.331.9 | 6091,998 | 1,2153,986 | Sat 17:00 |
| Black Canyon City Trailhead | 59.937.2 | 8022,631 | 1,3974,583 | Sat 19:00 |
| Cottonwood Gulch | 74.746.4 | 1,1633,816 | 1,7625,781 | Sat 22:00 |
| Table MesaCrewDrop bag | 82.251.1 | 1,3034,275 | 1,9296,329 | Sat 23:30 |
| Doe Spring | 94.558.7 | 1,5525,092 | 2,1487,047 | Sun 02:00 |
| Emery Henderson Trailhead (Finish)CrewDrop bag | 100.162.2 | 1,5915,220 | 2,2367,336 | Sun 03:00 |
Data is approximate and courses change between editions - always verify against the official race guide. Source: official race guide, verifiedNovember 8, 2026 - Official race website
FAQ
How much elevation gain does Black Canyon Ultras - 100K have?
Black Canyon Ultras - 100K has around 1,591 m of cumulative elevation gain and 2,236 m of loss over 100.1 km.
What is the cutoff time for Black Canyon Ultras - 100K?
The overall Black Canyon Ultras - 100K cutoff is 20 hours, with intermediate time barriers at major checkpoints. Winning times are typically around 7 hours.
How long is Black Canyon Ultras - 100K?
Black Canyon Ultras - 100K covers approximately 100.1 km (about 62 miles), starting in Mayer High School, Spring Valley, Arizona, USA.
How many aid stations does Black Canyon Ultras - 100K have and which allow crew?
The checkpoint table lists 9 major aid points between the start and the finish. Crew access is allowed at Bumble Bee Ranch (31.2 km), Deep Canyon Ranch (51.3 km) and Table Mesa (82.2 km). Drop bags are available at Bumble Bee Ranch, Deep Canyon Ranch and Table Mesa.
Training for this race?
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